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They died to save others
2 Marines averted a suicide bomber, saving more than 50 lives. Now, posthumously, they’ll be awarded the Navy Cross
By Trista Talton
[email protected]
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter and Cpl. Jonathan Yale jumped in front of the 20-foot tanker truck — speeding toward the checkpoint they were manning in Ramadi, Iraq — and opened fire.
As Iraqi policemen ran away, the Marines stood firm like quarterbacks in the pocket, pumping the Mercedes truck full of bullets. The truck slowed, and its driver detonated 2,000 pounds of explosives.
The truck’s target was a joint security station, manned by dozens of fellow Marines and Iraqi police officers. They all lived to tell about the events of that April 22, 2008, morning.
Haerter and Yale, who never stopped firing, did not. Their six seconds of unabashed bravery will be honored with posthumous awards of the Navy Cross, the nation’s second-highest award for combat valor.
A security camera, damaged in the blast, captured the attack that ended the lives of two riflemen who had just met. One was just days from returning home. The other was less than a month into his deployment, learning the ropes about manning checkpoints.
Haerter loved history
Haerter, 19, arrived in Ramadi in March with 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, a Camp Lejeune, N.C.based infantry unit making its first Iraq deployment since being reactivated in 2007. The battalion, famously nicknamed “The Walking Dead” during Vietnam, was one Haerter knew about long before he was assigned to that unit.
He was honored to be part of it, said his father, Christian Haerter. Growing up in Sag Harbor, N.Y., a small village of roughly 2,800 residents on eastern Long Island, Haerter was keen on studying U.S. and military history.
He looked forward to Halloween, using it as an opportunity to dress up in various military uniforms. One Halloween, he researched buttons sewn on Revolutionary War uniforms at the local library to make sure the costume he planned to wear was historically accurate, according to a Web site created in his honor.
Haerter took flying lessons, completing his first solo at 16. His family was surprised at the decision to join the Corps, expecting him instead to choose the Air Force.
“He felt it was the biggest challenge,” Christian Haerter said. “It was the hardest service. It was the most respected.” At 17, Haerter ’s parents signed for him to join.
They didn’t want their only son to think they didn’t support his decision.
Haerter shipped off to boot camp after graduating high school in 2006. He shined early on in his short military career, earning an expert shooting badge as a recruit at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C.
Again, he surprised his parents.
“When he was growing up, we were the type of parents who were ‘No, you can’t play with realistic looking guns,’” Christian Haerter said.
He’d tease his son about setting the bar high so early. But the words didn’t shake his confidence.
“When I envision him in Ramadi that morning, I can only imagine the person driving that truck and how he made one huge mistake,” Christian Haerter said. “What’s amazing is it doesn’t surprise me at all what [Jordan] did and that he has been awarded this medal. That’s the type of person he was. He would definitely never put himself first. That split-second decision he made, he knew what he had to do. I’m sure that he did not hesitate.” The decision Haerter and Yale made, to stop the enemy at all costs, is credited with saving more than 50 lives that morning. But their actions also cut short plans to finish their time in the Corps and move on to other things.
In one of his final letters to his father, Haerter wrote that he wanted to go back to Sag Harbor, join the police force there, retire with a nice pension and take over his father ’s water filtration business.
Yale was due home soon
Yale, 21, had his sights set on college. Growing up in Meherrin, Va., Yale loved theater. He wanted to study theater and dramatic arts, according to his MySpace page.
He was due home in less than a month with Lejeune’s 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines when the suicide bomb took his life.
“I’m starting a paintball team when I get home if anyone wants to join…” he wrote.
Yale described himself as “one of the most kind-hearted people you’ll ever meet. I’m a breeze to get along with and there’s not much I don’t enjoy.” Attempts to reach Yale’s family were unsuccessful.
An award ceremony for both Marines is tentatively planned for February at Camp Lejeune. It’s an event Christian Haerter said his unassuming son would likely rather not attend.
“I think he’d be totally humbled to almost the point of being embarrassed at the light being shown on him,” his father said.
“I think he would want to make it clear that what he did is within every Marine and there’s thousands of guys out there that, put into that same situation, would do what they had to do to save everybody else.” Ë
2 Marines averted a suicide bomber, saving more than 50 lives. Now, posthumously, they’ll be awarded the Navy Cross
By Trista Talton
[email protected]
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter and Cpl. Jonathan Yale jumped in front of the 20-foot tanker truck — speeding toward the checkpoint they were manning in Ramadi, Iraq — and opened fire.
As Iraqi policemen ran away, the Marines stood firm like quarterbacks in the pocket, pumping the Mercedes truck full of bullets. The truck slowed, and its driver detonated 2,000 pounds of explosives.
The truck’s target was a joint security station, manned by dozens of fellow Marines and Iraqi police officers. They all lived to tell about the events of that April 22, 2008, morning.
Haerter and Yale, who never stopped firing, did not. Their six seconds of unabashed bravery will be honored with posthumous awards of the Navy Cross, the nation’s second-highest award for combat valor.
A security camera, damaged in the blast, captured the attack that ended the lives of two riflemen who had just met. One was just days from returning home. The other was less than a month into his deployment, learning the ropes about manning checkpoints.
Haerter loved history
Haerter, 19, arrived in Ramadi in March with 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, a Camp Lejeune, N.C.based infantry unit making its first Iraq deployment since being reactivated in 2007. The battalion, famously nicknamed “The Walking Dead” during Vietnam, was one Haerter knew about long before he was assigned to that unit.
He was honored to be part of it, said his father, Christian Haerter. Growing up in Sag Harbor, N.Y., a small village of roughly 2,800 residents on eastern Long Island, Haerter was keen on studying U.S. and military history.
He looked forward to Halloween, using it as an opportunity to dress up in various military uniforms. One Halloween, he researched buttons sewn on Revolutionary War uniforms at the local library to make sure the costume he planned to wear was historically accurate, according to a Web site created in his honor.
Haerter took flying lessons, completing his first solo at 16. His family was surprised at the decision to join the Corps, expecting him instead to choose the Air Force.
“He felt it was the biggest challenge,” Christian Haerter said. “It was the hardest service. It was the most respected.” At 17, Haerter ’s parents signed for him to join.
They didn’t want their only son to think they didn’t support his decision.
Haerter shipped off to boot camp after graduating high school in 2006. He shined early on in his short military career, earning an expert shooting badge as a recruit at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C.
Again, he surprised his parents.
“When he was growing up, we were the type of parents who were ‘No, you can’t play with realistic looking guns,’” Christian Haerter said.
He’d tease his son about setting the bar high so early. But the words didn’t shake his confidence.
“When I envision him in Ramadi that morning, I can only imagine the person driving that truck and how he made one huge mistake,” Christian Haerter said. “What’s amazing is it doesn’t surprise me at all what [Jordan] did and that he has been awarded this medal. That’s the type of person he was. He would definitely never put himself first. That split-second decision he made, he knew what he had to do. I’m sure that he did not hesitate.” The decision Haerter and Yale made, to stop the enemy at all costs, is credited with saving more than 50 lives that morning. But their actions also cut short plans to finish their time in the Corps and move on to other things.
In one of his final letters to his father, Haerter wrote that he wanted to go back to Sag Harbor, join the police force there, retire with a nice pension and take over his father ’s water filtration business.
Yale was due home soon
Yale, 21, had his sights set on college. Growing up in Meherrin, Va., Yale loved theater. He wanted to study theater and dramatic arts, according to his MySpace page.
He was due home in less than a month with Lejeune’s 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines when the suicide bomb took his life.
“I’m starting a paintball team when I get home if anyone wants to join…” he wrote.
Yale described himself as “one of the most kind-hearted people you’ll ever meet. I’m a breeze to get along with and there’s not much I don’t enjoy.” Attempts to reach Yale’s family were unsuccessful.
An award ceremony for both Marines is tentatively planned for February at Camp Lejeune. It’s an event Christian Haerter said his unassuming son would likely rather not attend.
“I think he’d be totally humbled to almost the point of being embarrassed at the light being shown on him,” his father said.
“I think he would want to make it clear that what he did is within every Marine and there’s thousands of guys out there that, put into that same situation, would do what they had to do to save everybody else.” Ë
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